BARBADOS – Kenneth Bryan, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), speaking to senior tourism and government officials, scientists and members of the media from around the region meeting last week to address issues of hurricane preparedness and climate resilience, stated that hurricanes and climate-related hazards threaten the region’s development and its tourism sector, and preparation and mitigation are of paramount importance.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Regional forecasters are predicting 17 named storms, seven of which are likely to become hurricanes with four of them being major storms this year.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The European Union’s flagship program for green action in Latin America and the Caribbean (EUROCLIMA) will be launched at the Walker’s Reserve on Wednesday.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry says the National Emergency Operations Center (COUN) has been opened as heavy rains continue to lash Haiti causing widespread damage, but so far no loss of life.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – CARICOM on Monday joined the international community in observing International Day for Biological Diversity acknowledging that the region’s rich biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges.

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent -A coral restoration project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is reporting significant success, with more than 85 percent of the fragments transplanted so far surviving.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Barbados Tuesday said that its efforts towards becoming 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030 is being hampered financing, access and supply delays.

St. George’s, Grenada W.I.  – Grenada, known as the spice island of the Caribbean, is hosting its second annual, week-long Dive & Conservation Festival, an unprecedented gathering of global leaders in marine conservation. The festival will bring together many experts, including government representatives, environmental advocacy organizations, scientists, researchers, and the tourism industry.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) says it may become difficult over the next three months to confidently forecast rainfall as the Caribbean transitions into the wet season.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The head of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Francesco La Camera Tuesday warned that that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including those in the Caribbean, are confronted with a “pressing race” against climate change.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) says there are an estimated 12,046 recorded marine species in the Caribbean region with 31 phyla, or groups of related organisms, represented.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The capacity of Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti to conserve and restore their coral reefs is being bolstered under the six-year CoralCarib project.